Maybe they talk you into a lockbox and then act as if it's their property and try to take deposit and 1st month from unsuspecting people? 

Sure it does happen sometimes and generally they are getting a little below market rent and the area is nicer.People that do not want headaches generally do not go for war zone properties for cash cows at cheap prices.They are happy to take less of a return for a mix of appreciation in nicer areas.Many investors I have talked to that invested in rougher areas for yield had plenty of nightmare stories to tell and many times did not hit the numbers they were seeking.Instead they want to sell off to other unsuspecting new investors so that they can now go into better areas.I know some swear by managing themselves.I still believe you can put someone else in to handle that function and then periodically check in on them.As long as you build the cost in when you buy you will be fine.My time and what I do with it is very valuable to me and I don't want to spend it with tenants and all of their games.Eddie your job dictates for you to really have a PM company in place especially with rougher area properties that have many ongoing issues at an increasing frequency.Maybe the answer is to save more to buy into a better area then buy into a deal you will be regretting later.Especially if you are wanting to hold long term.

Just one of many, many ways for them to pick the pockets of unsuspecting out of state "investors" because they know you won't and likely can't do anything about it.

Once you strong arm them out they will prefer to move on to the next unsuspecting home owner rather than attempt to legally fight a expensive battle they have no way of winning in court.Move them along, change the locks and make sure you or a trusted friend immediately occupies the property.

Yes, it was over several different units and your criteria would have been fine, I was just making the point that you can take big hits (some unsuspected) in a short period of time.

There are many companies that make a living buying this stuff then reselling to the unsuspecting public.. 

Once they are evicted they simply move on to the next unsuspecting mom and pop to repeat the process.

And in a market like eastern MA, where the average price is about $500,000, 90% of their estimates are within $100,000 of true market value.With or without disclaimers, they are knowingly pushing bad data out to the unsuspecting public.My favorite Zillow pic from November 2016...

Do a search on here I almost bought a meth house but backed out because they never remediated the building and insurance wasn’t ok and I wasn’t ok with prospect of a unsuspecting family living there with young kids .

or an unsuspected issue.